Page 115 - Bible Doctrine Survey I - Student Textbook (3)

Daniel was in captivity in Babylon. The kingdom of Babylon had been taken over by the Medes (Daniel
5:30 cf. 9:1). Daniel realized that the 70-year captivity was about over (Daniel 9:2; Jeremiah 25:11,12).
He fasted and prayed to find out what God would do next (Daniel 9:3-19). An angel appeared with the
answer (Daniel 9:20 ff).

What are the 70 weeks? Literally the word “weeks” is “sevens.” But the question remains whether a
“seven” is seven “days” or seven “years.” Seventy “sevens” of days would equal 15 months. That doesn’t
fit the prophecy at all. But seventy “sevens” of years equals 490 years. That we will see fits the prophecy
precisely.

How long are the years? Daniel is figuring in terms of “prophetic years.” That means years which are
360 days long. The Jews did not use 365 day solar years. Actually they used 12 lunar months of about 29
days each (which required adding an extra month occasionally). Sometimes that was rounded off to 360
day years as in the flood chronology (150 days = 5 months – Genesis 7:11,24; 8:3,4). In Revelation it is
clear that 360 day years are used because 1260 days = 42 months = 3 years (Revelation 13:4-7; 12:13,14;
12:6). Likewise Daniel uses 360 day years.

The starting point of this prophecy is “the decree to rebuild Jerusalem.” This refers to King Artaxerxes’
decree on March 5, 444 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8). The ending point of the prophecy is “until Messiah the
Prince.” This refers to Christ’s Triumphal Entry on March 30, A.D. 33. Daniel says that will take 69 (7 =
62) “weeks” of years. It comes out to the day (69 x 7 x 360 = 173,880 days)! The 483 “prophetic years”
(or 476 solar years plus the 25 days between March 5 and March 30) is the exact time from Artaxerxes’
decree until the Triumphal Entry.

th
th
The 70 week of Daniel is yet in the future. There is a time gap between the 69 and 70 week (the
th
church age) which most Bible scholars believe will continue until Christ raptures the Church, and then
the time of Jacob’s Troubles begin (the tribulation period described in the book of Revelations)
(Jeremiah 30:7)

The rapture described in I Thess. 4:16-17 is an event in which the church will rise to meet Christ in the
th
clouds. This event marks the beginning of the 70 week of Daniel, the tribulation period.

Verse 24 says that at the end of the 69 week, “Messiah is cut off”. In other words, Christ is crucified.
th
The verse continues, “people of the prince to come will destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary
(temple)” which are the Romans, who destroyed the temple in A.D. 70. Now there is a parenthetical gap
th
between the 69 week and the 70 week. It was as if Daniel were looking across the landscape of
th
future history and saw the mountain tops. But there was a valley between week 69 and 70 which he
could not see. We are currently living in that valley: the Church age. That age will end when Christ
comes to take His bride out of the earth in order to begin the tribulation period.

114